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Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs over a transmission issue that could result in the vehicles rolling away when put in the “Park” position.

The defect: affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with a rebuilt one. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

The hazards: if the shift control lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the “Park” position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the “Park” gear position. If the vehicle is not in the “Park” position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 19, 2015.

Owners should: owners who wish to know if their vehicle is included in these recalls can visit owner.ford.com and click on Safety Recalls at the bottom of the page. On that page, customers can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see any open safety, compliance or emissions recalls, as well as customer satisfaction programs.